Apparatus for heating freight-cars



(NoModeL) W. .E. EASTMAN, G. H. KIMBALL 8v C. H. MURCH.

APPARATUS FOKHEATING FREIGHT CARS.

No. 247,028. Patented Sept. 13,1881.

IQ I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. EASTMAN, o. HENRY KIMBALL, AND CHARLES H. MUEoH, F BOSTON,MASSAOHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR HEATING FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,028, datedSeptember 18, 1881. Application filed June 28, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: sufficient air to sustain combustion andsupply Be it known that we, WILLIAM E. EASTMAN, the hot-air flues withair for circulation under O.HENRYKIMBALL,and UHARLESELMUROH, the floorand around the linings a a. citizens of the United States, all residingin The heater h is securely fastened to the box Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and Stateof c, with its smoke-stack k extending throughMassachusetts, have invented a new and usethe side, with elbow-joints togive it an upward fuImprovement for Heating Freight-Oars, of directionwhere it is fastened to the outside which the following is aspecification. of the car, so that it may always be entirely urinvention relates to an apparatus for out of the way when loading thecar.

Io heating freight-cars, which can be applied to In Fig. 1, lshows asmall-portion of the outcars as ordinarily constructed without interferside of the car, with an opening, in which a thering withtheirusefulness for that class of freight mometer is placed for thepurpose of indicatwhich does not require heat, access to the heater in gthe inside temperature to a person outside being had without enteringthe car for reguof the car by removing a small covering from lating theheat. We attain these objects by the opening. the arrangement andconstruction illustrated In Fig. 2, m shows partof the car-floor brokenin the accompanying drawings, in whichaway to give a view of theair-chamber and Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, sills. InFig.2, a is a trap-door or opening to showing the arrangement as itappears when the fuel-bin. looking at the cars side. Fig. 2 is a bottomNow, it will be seen that as heat is generated plan. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section, from the heater h heated air will pass intothe showing the arrangement near the middle of spaces 0 between thesills shown in Fig. 3,

the that part of the sills immediately above the Similar parts areindicated by similar letters box 0 not being covered with ceiling, asshown throughout the several views. in Fig. 1, and form a hot-airchamber under n Fig. 1, a dare linings extending from the the whole car.It will also pass through the car-doors to and across the ends of thecar, openingsd to the air-spaces formed on the sides formingaspacebetween the inner and outward and ends of the car by the lining a, asshown walls of the car about three and'one-half inches 1 in Fig. 1. wideat the bottom and narrower at the top. A current of air may be inducedtoward the This lining extends up the sides of the car as ends of thecar by making small openings in high as potatoes or otherfreight forwhich it the lining a a at pp, which allows the heated is useful willfill the car, so that when the space air to escape into the open car.

, b is filled with heated air from below thefreigllt In practice it isfound that potatoes will, 5 will be surrounded on three sides by hot-airwhile in a car, generate heat themselves, and 5 chambers. never freezeat the top, thus leat ing it only The under side or bottom of the carssills is necessary to apply heat at the sides, ends, and sealed up,forming air-spaces between the unbottom of the car. This arrangementreduces der and upper sides of the sills, extending from the amount ofspace to be heated to about onea j 40 the fire-box c to the ends of thecar, with opententh of the amountheated by the old method, 9

5 j ings at suitable intervals through the floor and which is to place aheater inside the car near into the air-space I), as shown at d. themiddle, with its smoke-stack through the The ceiling e is made to form abox near the car-top. Freight such as potatoes will occupy middle of thecar, which drops considerably each end of the car, filling thesame to aposi- 5 below the sills f for the purpose of forming a tion fairlyindicated by the lining a a in- Fig.

support for the heater, a hot-air chamber, and 1, three hundred andfifty bushels being the fuel-bin combined. The box 0 has openings atlimit allowed to each car by railroad corporaeach of its ends, as shownin Fig. 2 at g g, to tious. give access to the heater and fuel withoutopen- The old method for heating is objectionable 5o ing the car-doors,and also to give ingress to for the following reasons: I 00 First.Potatoes nearest to the heater will often be spoiled by heat and othersbe frozen at the ends and sides of the car at the same time.

Second. The cars are rendered almost useless t'or transporting manykinds of merchandise, particularly heavy freight-such asiron, molasses,and the like-when fitted, as is the practice, with an inner flooring ofthin boards raised above the true floor of the car, and for this reasonare nearly alwaysreturned empty after the delivery of a load ofpotatoes.

Third. The heating arrangement has to be removed from the cars duringthe summer months to make th em available for all classes of freight,and by so doing it is usually destroyed, and a new one has to be.substituted each season at considerable cost.

Fourth. The cars cannot be sealed, as is usually done with other classesof freight, as the doors have to be frequently opened to fire up,leaving them specially liable to loss of freight.

Fifth. Oarloors are often frozen in position with ice and snow, andconsiderable injury is done them by being frequently opened to fire up.It is a common thing to find cars very badly injured by the use of somesharp instrument like an ax to open the doors when frozen in position.

Sixth. A large amount of unnecessary fuel is used for heating.

Seventh. Potatoes are much or too little heat, evenly distributed.

We do not confine ourselves to the particular construction here setforth, but describe it as best in our opinion.

Our principal object is to apply an arrangement to freight-cars asordinarily constructed so that the bottom and sides maybe heated withoutentering the car to fire up, with a thermometer placed in the car, sothat it may be seen from the outside.

With the arrangement herein shown by the annexed drawings all theabove-mentioned difficulties are avoided, and a great saving andconvenience is secured 'to both the railroad corporation and shippersalike.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The heater or stove h, inclosed in the box or chamber a, asdescribed, so that it can be supplied with fuel without entering thecar, and having its smoke-pipe k passing up outside the car, incombination with the hot-air fines formed by the flooring, the sills,and the ceiling, as described, and the air-spaces b b between the sidesand ends of the car, and the linings a at, having the openings 19 p, forthe purpose specified.

2. The box 0, having the threefold office of a hot-air chamber, afuel-bin, and a support for the heater or stove h, in combination withthe hot-air flues formed by the flooring, sills, and ceiling, and theopenings d d, for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with the heater h, the ceiling 6 and the openings dand p, for the purpose of producing warm air and conducting the currentsto the ends and sides of the car from the heater, as shown anddescribed.

4. The smoke-pipe 70, passing up outside the car, in combination withthe heater or stove h, box 0, lining a a, and ceiling e, forthe purposespecified.

5. The combination of the openings d and p,for producing an air-currentfrom the heater toward the car ends.

6. The combination of the heater or stove h, ceiling e, and openings 01and p,for producing air-currents at the ends and sides of the car, inthe manner described.

7. The combination of the heater or stove h, ceiling e, linings a a, andopenings (1 and p, for the purpose of entirely surrounding the contentsof the car with warm air, in the manner described.

8. The combination of the heater or stove h with smoke-pipe carried upon the outside of the car, the fuel-bin in box 0, the ceiling e, andlinings a a, for the purpose set forth.

9. The construction herein set forth of a heating apparatus forfreight-cars, consisting, substantially, of a heater or stove, h,inclosedin a box, 0, secured beneath the floor of a car, said box beingopen at its top to the sills and floor of the said car and in directcommunication with hot-air flues formed by the sills, the floor and aceiling covering all the under side of the sills except that partimmediately above the box 0, thcl'inings a a at the sides and ends ofthe car, forming therewith air-spaces b b and the openings at and 1),for producing a circulation of air in and through said flues andair-spaces, all operating substantially as described.

injured by either too the heat not being WILLIAM E. EASTMAN. O. HENRYKIMBALL. CHAS. H. MUROH.

Witnesses H. E. KnMroK, WM. H. MILLER.

